


Mr. London

by Do_as_youre_told



Category: This Means War (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-01-20 06:26:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1500095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Do_as_youre_told/pseuds/Do_as_youre_told
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Running away to escape an ex leads to a brief encounter with a man that seems too good to be true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. L. A

We were two Brits in a city of Americans. Obviously that wasn’t quite true but that’s what drew us to one another. We’d met at some awful club I’d been dragged to with some friends, full of posers and scenesters but I dealt with it by getting wonderfully drunk. I’d lunged at him the moment I’d heard his stereotypically British accent between the beat of what the club deemed to call ‘music’,

“Where are you from?” I slurred, oblivious to the fact he was completely sober and was mid conversation with someone.

He was well built, his broad shoulders making his shirt pull slightly but he looked good. Blue eyes, full lips -understatement, but I’ll get to those later- he looked like a film star, but that wasn’t anything special in this place, they all looked like film stars in there.

“London” he replied, through blurred vision I could see the look of amusement, he was too sweet for the look to be mocking, but, he certainly wasn’t taking me seriously.

“Oh! Everyone’s always from London!”

I rolled my eyes and in the inebriated state I was in, the room span and my knees buckled, he caught my arm and the grip sent shocks through me. It was like nothing I’d felt before, there was so much strength in his hands that I blushed instantly, I would have preferred to have fallen and landed on my face than have to deal with my sudden urge to sleep with this man.

I was no innocent princess by any stretch of the imagination but my mind was on lock-down after a pretty messy break up, hence the reason I was here in this stupid city. I hadn’t wanted to see a man let alone sleep with one but now I wanted to take this guy and show him a good time, remind him what he was missing in London.

I couldn’t escape London men as hard as I tried sometimes.

All my bravado disappeared and I wanted to get away before I threw myself at him. The recent rejection of my ex still stung and I didn’t want to deal with that shit again. There was a lot of tequila surging through my blood stream and I didn’t trust it not to make a fool of me.

“Where are your friends?” He looked around for anyone who showed signs of knowing me. He let go of my arm gently but I could feel the blood rushing to where his hand had been, “would you like me to help you find them?”

“No!” I practically shouted, his kindness was not helping, i was now trying at all cost to avoid eye contact, I needed to get away from him immediately. “Uh… They’re around. It was nice talking to you, you have a very pretty face!”

I turned to walk away wondering why on earth I’d just said that to him and went colliding into a guy and his full tray of brightly coloured drinks. My pale peach peplum dress was now a not so beautiful mish mash of colours and my shoes were soaked through.

“Watch where the hell you’re going!” The man who was now bereft of drinks yelled at me. I looked at him, stunned, I tried to stammer an apology but the shock, embarrassment and alcohol (consumed and covering me) left me unable to speak. “You better pay for more drinks!”

He grabbed hold of my arm and started to drag me towards the bar, this snapped me back to reality and I pulled away. I opened my mouth to start throwing a few profanities about, but my fellow Brit appeared in front of me, his impressive back close to my soaked front and with a quick, subtle movement the aggressive and drink-less man went down without a word. There was a collective gasp around us and the Brit with the big back turned to me, taking me by the elbow, and spoke close in me ear  
“We need to leave.”

 

I was ushered to Mr London’s car and pushed into the passenger seat, despite my protests about going home with strangers and ruining the interior with my rainbow dress. I gave him my address and after trying unsuccessfully to contact my friends resorting in me leaving a voicemail, evidence of how drunk I’d gotten, we drove in silence.

“What’s your name?” He eventually asked to break the tension. I was sobering up rapidly and I felt like an absolute idiot, I considered doing a drop and roll out of the car but after the way things had gone so far I would probably end up under another set of wheels.

I cleared my throat and replied quietly, “Bianca.”

“I’m Tuck. How are you feeling, do you need to be sick or want something to eat?”

“I’m fine I just feel like an absolute idiot.” My words muffled as I put my head in my hands and tried not to cry. This was it! I was swearing off alcohol, going out of my house and talking to strangers! When I got back home it was solitary confinement.

 

As we pulled up outside my friends apartment I dared to look at him again,

“I’m really sorry, for ruining your night, and thank you for bringing me home. Oh! And decking someone quite brilliantly and skilfully.” He smiled and looked down coyly, his profile knocking me for six, “although you could’ve gotten hurt!”

“I doubt that, but thank you for your concern.”

There was an awkward silence until I realised I should be getting out of this strangers car, I collected up my bag and shoes, opened the door and got out. I was about to lean into the car to say thank you again but Tuck wasn’t there. He appeared at my side, and without my heels I felt tiny compared to his sleek but impressive size.

This man was beautiful and I’d made a complete idiot out of myself,

“I’ll walk you to your door, make sure you’re OK” he spoke softly and quietly and for a  
moment I didn’t know if he was going to kiss me or kill me. Instead he shut the passenger door and locked the car with the remote. He was close, really close, I could smell his aftershave mixed with the reek of alcohol coming from my dress. I hovered near him, thinking… I don’t know what I was thinking, but I saw sense and tip toed to the communal door with Tuck following, his steps quick behind me.

“Would you like to come in for some tea? I have real tea with me, PG Tips!” I wiggled my eye brows seductively, this was no offer of sex this was even more special, this was tea.

We both laughed, I was relieved though when he declined,

I was taken aback when he kissed me on the lips, it was brief and over almost before it had even happened, he was stood up straight before I could even return it but it left me giddy and wanting more. His lips were a soft as they looked and I wanted to see more of what they could do, I considered grabbing him by the lapels of his suit jacket and kissing him properly, I wanted to bite his bottom lip so much that I could barely think straight but I chickened out and with a polite wave, we said goodbye.

I stripped off completely as soon as I was indoors, Louise, the girl I was staying with and my closest friend since primary school was still out with everyone else. I hoped she wasn’t worrying about where I was but my skin was starting to get sticky and sore from my dress, I needed to shower and clear my head. I tried to call her once more but there was still no answer; however I wasn’t making the same mistake twice and hung up before I had to leave a message.

The water from the power shower was a sweet relief, I set it as hot as I could stand and let the evening wash away. 

I was a bit perplexed by this Tuck fellow, his name was odd for a kick off but amazingly that wasn’t what puzzled me the most. I’d known him, if you could even call it that, for an hour maybe a bit longer and yet I couldn’t think about anything else. 

I started to run through the very brief kiss in my head, his warm hand on my face, the feel of his full lips against mine, I was suddenly gripped with horror. It wasn’t the kiss it could have been, I had been ready and willing but no, it was a peck, the kind you’d give to a friend. 

“Idiot” I muttered as I scrubbed my make up off, feeling like I deserved the blinding sting of mascara as it went into my eyes.  
It was clear that he was fobbing me off, after my behaviour he most certainly didn’t see me as potential wife material and after his behaviour it was obvious that he was too much of a gent to tell me to do one. 

I was considering having a little cry when I heard voices and my name being called. Louise and her friends were home, I wasn’t entirely in the mood to talk to anyone but out of politeness I switched off the water. I dried myself, got rid of the remainder of my panda eyes and went to make my apologies, putting Tuck to the back of my head as best as I could.


	2. Home Sweet Home

I woke up and stretched, relishing the knowledge of a day off, I was still adjusting to being back in London and the jet lag was only just setting down. Looking out the window I saw this it was unsurprisingly raining, the sky was grey and miserable and very unappealing. I missed the sunshine, lying by the communal pool with Louise and drinking one of her very alcoholic Key West Coolers, soaking up the warmth on the beach and being grateful for a rare instance of rain. My phone beeped and I picked it up reluctantly,

‘Call me. Now.’

I sighed and let the phone fall on the bed, the thing I missed most about LA was being cut off from everyone, especially from Sam, my dickhead ex. I’d barely touched down in Heathrow when the calls and messages had started up again, he wanted to see me and he was sorry, she’d meant nothing to him (not the first time I’d heard that it might not surprise you to hear). Gradually as I ignored them the texts, emails and voice mails had gotten more and more demanding and impatient, but I was determined not to get involved. 

He had a hold over me that I could never fight for long, he was tall and slim, not particularly good looking with quite bad skin but there was something about him that made my heart race and belly flip whenever I was near him. He was a hateful and selfish pig but for the past three or four years I’d been pretty much obsessed with him and the way he made me feel when he was good to me. 

Despite him hounding me I was happy, being single was something I’d not been for a while and I’d made a decision since my run in with Tuck that I was going to enjoy being a singleton. 

The thought of Tuck made me smile, it had been a brief meeting but it was a profound one. His quick kiss on the lips had been a revelation, that sounds cheesy but it was true! That following morning I’d woken with a terrible hangover and the feeling that I was a hideous great beast that nobody wanted to kiss, even Sam only wanted me because he could control me, kick me and like a puppy I’d get back up and go for more. 

Louise had dragged me to get breakfast (KFC in her car with a large cup of ice cold Sprite, heaven!) and I’d filled her in on everything that had happened, the guy with the drinks, the drive home, the initial peck on the cheek followed by the more intense but brief kiss on the lips.

She had listened carefully, munching on chicken and sipping her drink, and once I’d finished she nodded and after moment punched me in the arm.

“OW!” I shrieked nearly spilling gravy over my lap, I clutched my arm and pouted. 

“He liked you, idiot! Did you get his number?” I shook my head and flinched as she want to hit me again, luckily changing her mind, “if he drove you home after defending you, bear in mind he could easily have just put you in a cab or even come and found us but no, he drove you home and walked you to your door. That’s not the actions of a guy who thinks you’re a ’hideous beast’.” she smiled knowingly, giving off an air of wisdom, “I bet you anything that we’ll see Mr Tuck again very soon!”

Sadly, she was wrong, but that was OK and I enjoyed the rest of my stay even if I did spend most of my time half looking for him to no avail. The kiss and Louise’s words had boosted a long forgotten confidence, I was excited to see what life had in store. 

The phone beeped again and it was no shock to see Sam’s number, if I could just get him to leave me alone everything would be just lovely.

I kicked open the door, threw down my bags of shopping and lunged for the phone

“Hello” I sounded like a sex line operator as I breathed heavily into the receiver, three flights of stairs and bags of clothes were not a good combination when running up the stairs,

“Am…am I interrupting something?” Louise asked confirming my suspicions about the sex line, oh well at least if my career ever went down the pan it was good to have a plan B, “oh god! It’s not Sam is it?”

“No! I just did some running, I bought some lovely things from…”

“Bianca, shut up! Listen to me, I get home from work last night and this guy is standing by his car, looking a bit creepy if I’m honest, even if he did look like an Adonis.” I held my breath and gripped my stomach, butterflies had just been let loose and I needed to sit down, “He came up to me and asked if I knew you and what apartment you lived in, knew who it was as soon as he spoke.” 

“What did you say to him?” I struggled to keep the desperation out of my voice.

“I told him who I was, that he was a little bit late in showing up and that you were back in Blighty, cor blimey guv’nor!”

I laughed, it was amusing but I also wanted to reach down the line and grab her by the throat, instead I made excuses to hang up and said that I would talk to her later. Sensing she’d pissed me off she let me go without protest, I’d listen to her explanation when I wasn’t being so over dramatic. 

I ran a bath, lit some candle and put on some depressing music to fully help my feel sorry for myself, I sunk into the hot water as Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye filled the room. I’d cried so many times to this song over Sam but now I didn’t want to cry over that stupid boy, I wanted to cry because I hadn’t got to know Tuck better. I had this feeling that he could have been the soothing balm to my wounds, I needed a gentleman in my life and he could have been in, even if it had only been for the remaining week in LA I’d had left.

My phone beeped and I picked it up carefully with soapy hands,

‘I hope your jet lag hasn’t been too bad.’

I puzzled over the message, it was an unknown number but I was getting them a lot recently as Sam tried to deceive me into replying but this was a nice text. I shrugged placing the phone back on the counter behind my head, obviously his new tact was to be nice again.

‘I’m guessing you’re angry with me?’

I gave up, after three weeks of constant harassment I wanted it to end. 

‘Sam, this needs to stop!’

I waited for a reply, nothing.

I waited and waited but there was no reply, the bath got cold and the tea lights went out until I was lying in cold dark water. Had he got the message? Was he finally going to leave me alone? Was that all it would have taken, a quick message telling him to piss of and I’d get a full night of uninterrupted sleep? 

I climbed out of the tub using the light from under the door as a guide, as soon as I stepped into the hallway my phone beeped. I sighed and ignored it, I padded into my bedroom and dressed for bed despite the fact it was still only 6:00. I thought about going back into the living room to watch a movie but instead I made myself a large glass of white wine and lemonade, grabbed a pack of chocolate bourbons and climbed into bed. The wine made my happy, the chocolate made me happier but just as I was starting to calm down the phone beeped again, I picked it up angrily

‘Who’s Sam?’

I threw down the phone and bit my bottom lip, that message confused me but the one below made my hair stand on end and my stomach flip.

‘Who’s Sam? I’m sorry, but Louise gave me your number. It’s Tuck.’


	3. Flowers and Cocktails

I ignored the text for a couple of days, but it was a huge elephant in my life, never mind in the room. Eventually I picked up the phone and gave in and wrote a reply,

‘Sam is my ex. I didn’t think I’d hear from you again.’

I debated whether or not to add a kiss and decided against it. I closed my eyes and pressed send.

Turning back to my computer, I tried to focus on work, but the words jumbled on the screen, and I read the same paragraph eight times before giving up to make myself a cup of tea. When I returned to my office and looked at my desk the phone was sitting there with its black screen, taunting me with its silence.  
“I made you wait, but you better text back soon,” I muttered under my breath. At that moment, the phone lit up and announced loudly that I had an incoming call from Tuck.

I cleared my throat and answered it as calmly as I could, putting on my sexiest phone voice, “Hello, Bianca Lloyd speaking.”

“Do you always make people wait this long before replying, Miss Lloyd?” Being back in London and surrounded by people with the same accent, his voice wasn’t as mesmerizing but it was the tone that made my stomach flip, low and gravely. It seemed to hit a deep part of my brain; he certainly made me excited.

“It’s annoying isn’t it?” Tuck laughed quietly on the other end of the line and I bit my lip to stop myself from giggling. “So, there’s playing it cool, and there’s being just plain bloody rude.” I leant back in my chair and fiddled nervously with a pen.

“I was called away for work. I’m sorry.” He was serious so suddenly that it was believable and not some bullshit line.

“I’m kidding, you gave me a lift home. It wasn’t a date.” I sank in my seat and wanted the floor beneath my to open up and swallow me whole.

“I know, but I had intended to come and see you.” He sounded sincere, and I smiled at his words, but I remained cool.

“I believe you; millions wouldn’t.”

There was an awkward silence as we waited to see who would speak first.

“Listen, I’m going to be in London next week. I thought if you wanted to, we could go for a drink somewhere?” I dropped the pen and nearly yelped out loud.

“Next week?”

“Yes, I get in on Tuesday, so I thought we could meet up on Wednesday.” I was hesitant to reply, while everything my mother had taught me about strangers and stalkers came flooding to me. This ridiculously good looking man wanted to meet me for drinks? He had to be a crazy.  
“What do you do?” I used distract and delay as my tactic while I thought it over.

“I’m a travel agent.”

“A travel agent who travels. That’s cute.” I teased, but he didn’t laugh. I hit my hand against my forehead and cringed. “Okay, I can do Wednesday.”

“Good.”

From the moment we hung up we were emailing each other constantly with little flirty messages but nothing serious. One of us would always change the subject when either of us went too near the knuckle. I felt scared because of my issues with Sam, and I wondered what had stopped him. I was looking forward to seeing him though. The texts made me forget how devastatingly good looking he was and made me think more about how funny and charming he was.

 

‘I’m disappointed you didn’t offer to let me stay with you.’

I giggled at the text as I crawled into bed, when he’d told me he was going to stay in a hotel during his visit I had to put my phone down to stop the impulse to suggest he stay at mine. I’d only met that man once in my life, I had enough with men trying to intrude on my life without having a stranger stay with me.

‘You should have asked! Anyway, my place doesn’t come with room service.’  
*************************

No sleep.  
Sam. Again. I was in no mood to go anywhere, I sat on the train and contemplated cancelling, going home to crawl into bed after work. However, as I walked into my office clutching a strong tea with enough sugar to give me diabetes I saw the flowers on my desk. It was an arrangement of pink orchids and roses sat in a large vase with a narrow stem. Frowning, I searched for a card, there wasn’t one but instead my phone signaled a text.

‘I hope you like the flowers, an obvious gesture I know.’

I sat down and tried to suppress the enormous grin on my face. I looked like an absolute lunatic. Somehow I managed to focus on my work, sending emails and making phone calls and all with a crazy smile on my face and a ridiculously cheery tone. I think the people that were already scared of me were now even more frightened. I swear I heard the words ‘smile as you kill’ when I walked into the staff kitchen. Normally I’d ask why they were standing about, but instead I smiled and offered to make tea. I’d alienated myself because of the way Sam had treated me, he had turned me into the type of person that lashed out at people for no reason, so I kept my excitement the quiet and my tea was refused.

Inevitably, the day dragged and by the time six rolled around my good mood was wearing thin, and I was dying to leave. I snuck off five minutes early to get changed. After destroying my wardrobe, I’d settled on a peach spaghetti strap 50’s style dress and a simple pair of white ballet flats, a failsafe outfit that had seen me through many after work drinks. I felt confident and didn’t feel hideous.

I made my way downstairs and looked for Tuck out front before I ventured outside. I had a fear that he wasn’t going to turn up, so I waited inside until I could see him. He was leant against a bricked up flower bed with his arms folded and sunglasses on. Was that a toothpick? I took a deep breath, held my head up high and stepped through the large double doors, spotting me instantly he made his way to me. The crooked toothed smile making made my stomach flutter slightly.

“Hello.” His voice was soft as he came close, sliding an arm around my waist, and hugged me. He placed a kiss on my cheek then stepped back quickly as if he were scared to be near me.

********************************

I walked into Tucks hotel room nervously. I wondered if maybe we should have gone back to mine, but his was closer and in the queue for the cab this had seemed like such a good idea.

“Are you ok?” He asked while he slid off his jacket and kicked off his shoes.

I nodded and gave a weak smile.

“Would you like a drink?”

I nodded again. This time a little more enthusiastically, but I realised I should clear my head a little and I’d had plenty of alcohol. “Water, please.”

He picked up the phone and called down to reception, while I slipped into the bathroom to collect my thoughts and rebuild my courage. I locked the door and walked over to the mirror which was over the sink and winced. The club had had a negative effect on my make up leaving it half way down my face. I located some cotton pads and tidied myself up, trying to ignore the nerves, which were becoming more and more violent.

The evening had gone really well, I’d had way too many cocktails- I made a mental note to detox, a pattern was forming- and I had begun to feel brave. The bar we’d gone into was tiny and dark with cozy velvet seats. When we had chosen where to sit, he’d thrown me off guard by sitting next to me, where his knee inches from mine. I’d lose track of what I was saying every time that he moved and our knees came into contact. He would smirk ever so slightly, and I caught on quickly that he was doing it on purpose. Conversation was slow to start, but eventually it began to flow, so by the time we decided to move on to somewhere else, it was as if we were old friends.

We went to a nearby club which was much bigger and busier, the music was loud and talking wasn’t really an option, so I dragged him to the dance floor so he could show me his moves. As we danced, I made my move. My arms slid around his neck, I pulled him close and kissed him. His scent and the alcohol made me feel giddy. Forgetting we were in public, I pressed my body against his and felt his growing excitement.

“We should leave,” Tuck spoke into my ear firmly.

I bit my lip nervously, because I knew my answer, but I didn’t want to appear that easy, but I nodded and he grabbed a hold of my hand manoeuvring us through the dancing crowd towards the exit.

The taxi ride to the hotel had been so easy. Tuck told the driver where we needed to go and then turned his attention back to me, twisting his body over mine and placed a hand on my knee; his fingers placed enticingly below the hem of my dress.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to yours?” he murmured into my ear before kissing my earlobe and starting to kiss my neck. I closed my eyes and tried to remember we weren’t alone as a moan threatened to escape my lips.

“Your hotel is fine,” I breathed heavily. I was dizzy from the sudden change in his behaviour and the change in mine. I wanted to get him alone as soon as possible, and there was no way I was going home on my own. He made a slight groan, and in a flash his mouth went from my neck to my lips. His tongue moved rhythmically with mine as I welcomed his kiss eagerly.

There was a light knock on the door that reminded me where I was. I took a deep breath and opened the door coming face to face with Tuck. I couldn’t help but take him in. His piercing eyes which seemed to change colour, and his shark-like nose and those lips. Lips that made my knees weak. Lips that meant everywhere we went during the night, he got adoring stares.

He was with me and then all my doubts came flooding back, the tiny ball of nerves returned to my stomach, so I felt sick again.

“Are you alright?” His voice was low, and I noticed a slight gravelly edge to it. He held up a cold bottle of water and smiled. I reached for it, but he kept his grip and pulled the bottle back towards him, bringing me with it. Then we were kissing again and hungrier than in the back of the taxi. Our hands clawing at each other’s clothes.

“Do you have work tomorrow?” he murmured, lifting me up and putting me on the bed. His hands lifted my skirt and prised my willing legs apart. I lay semi exposed as he stood back up. A smile played on those perfect lips as he slid his half unbuttoned shirt off, so for the first time I could see his torso. He was beautifully built, and I was surprised by the amount of tattoos that covered his tanned skin. I realised that this was the reason I wanted him. There was more to this guy than meets the eye.

“Not anymore.” I went to sit up, but he pushed me back down.


	4. One night stand

Tuck fumbled with his belt buckle and his buttons while he continued to kiss me hungrily,

“Let me help”, I reached my hands down to help him but he grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. His free hand on my inner thigh made me gasp, his fingers crept underneath the fabric of my underwear and roughly yanked them to one side before entering me slowly.

His eyes locked with mine as he whispered an expletive and smiled blissfully, he kissed me gently and the hand holding my wrists made its way down my neck and onto my clothes restricted breasts. I moaned with frustration and arched my back until he eventually tugged at the fabric of the strap, ripping it away and then pulling the front down.

I wrapped my legs around him as our hips began to move together gathering speed, his grunts and moans were close to my ear, gravelly and husky. I could feel he was close to the edge, his movement becoming much more frantic as he buried his head in my neck and a hand cupped my behind, squeezing it tightly.

He groaned and I felt the vibration of the sound against my throat, he swore quietly again and let out a little breathless laugh. He kissed along my jaw until we came face to face again, both of us grinning like idiots.

 

I don’t remember falling asleep but the sound of my work alarm startled me awake, I silenced it before it woke Tuck up. He stirred for a second but he just rolled over and the gentle snores continued. In the cold harsh light that spilled through the windows I was having moments of doubt and shame, the warm fuzz of the alcohol was gone and I needed to get out of here.

Gently, I got out of bed and located my dress, threw it on and mentally swore at the broken strap but I simply tucked in the straps in and hoped they didn’t work their way out in public and give the game away. I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my bag and crept out of the hotel room.

It had been a long time since I’d done a walk of shame but here I was! Sitting on the tube filled with commuters, all of them knowing what I was doing. On the train I text a co-worker that I was sick, I didn’t even care if any of them had seen me leave with Tuck, there were plenty of days where half the office was missing due to hangovers, today that day was mine.

I had a long hot bath and ordered a pizza to soothe the hangover, I had made a huge mistake last night and I needed to hide away. I stuck my favourite ’guaranteed to make me happy’ movie in the DVD player and curled up to pretend I was Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando was in love with me. My phone beeped and my hand shook as I picked it up,

’no goodbye?’

I deleted the message and let the phone fall onto to sofa beside me, it was nice while it lasted but Tuck was too good for me. He was a nice guy, ridiculously good looking and had the personality to boot. I was a messed up woman thanks to my ex, I had a job I didn’t like very much and what I suspected to be the start of a drinking problem.

 

I’d known something was up. I’d had butterflies from the moment I’d woken up and felt sick with anticipation, it wasn’t dread but it didn’t sit right. 

“Are you ok?” Sam asked in a rare moment of caring, I nodded with a weak smile and continued getting ready to do some last minute wedding shopping.

Louise had shocked us all by finally agreeing to marry her long term boyfriend, Alex, they’d been together on and off since we were teenagers and they’d both decided to make it permanently on. It had all been a bit of a whirlwind, I’d been woken up at 3 in the morning by hammering at my door, Sam refusing to answer it I stumbled to see who I was about to murder. Louise stood in my doorway with Alex by her side both beaming, tanned, jet lagged and Lou ramming a huge rock in my face.

“You’re the first to know! We couldn’t wait!”

I was bestowed the honour of being maid of honour much to the annoyance of her sisters but Louise was so happy and excited she said she didn’t care and tactfully told them that they could, and I quote “go fuck themselves if they didn’t like it”. With that the matter was settled and I was now rushing around with a week to go trying to find a gift for the bride and groom.

Oxford street was strangely empty for a Saturday morning, we still had to weave through tourists walking at a snails pace but the shops were quiet. I should have been calmed by this but I gripped onto Sams hand and had to repeatedly take deep breaths.

We’d finally found a gift and were back outside the doors of Selfridges, I was about to insist on staring at the windows when my anxiety became clear.   
It had been six months since my night with Tuck, we hadn’t made any contact and now he was in front of me. He was talking to a homeless man and giving him some money, they smiled at each other and the man said thank you, Tuck gave a double thumbs up and turned to walk in my direction.

“Come on”, Sam pulled me forward and we walked towards Tuck, we made eye contact but his expression remained impassive apart from a slight tightening of his jaw and a quick glance at Sam. I didn’t know if I should smile or say hello but he walked past without any hint of stopping. I was shaking and my knees threatened to give way, I fought the urge to turn to look back but I lost out to myself and whipped my head around to look. His head was also turned and our eyes locked for a second until he clenched his jaw angrily and looked away. 

“What are you looking at?” Sams voice brought me back to my surroundings and for the second time that day, I smiled weakly and told him it was nothing.


	5. Here comes the bride

I nearly mentioned my run in with Tuck to Louise but I decided against it, she wasn’t exactly best pleased that I was back with Sam or that I'd run out on Tuck so it wasn't worth the wrath of Bridezilla. 

"I'm really nervous" Lou whispered to me, she had a death grip on her fathers arm and tears threatening to ruin her flawless make up, "what if I mess up?" Her voice was shaking and I could see the pale pink roses in her bouquet trembling.

"You'll be fine, stop worrying" I lamely attempted to comfort her, "just imagine everyone naked!"

She giggled tearfully, looked at her dad and grimaced,

"Maybe not" she whispered.

The music signalled that the congregation was waiting, I led the way with Louise's sisters into the room, taking steady measured steps down the aisle; smiles plastered on our faces. 

 

The ceremony was lovely, Louise didn't stumble on her words once and Alex looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Everyone cried as they exchanged vows, they both beamed at each other so in love that it dawned on me I was never going to get this with Sam. I turned to find him, he was watching the bride and groom with a small smile on his face, he was happy for them but he wasn't moved. As I turned back to face the front something, or rather, someone caught my eye. He was staring at me and for the second time that week, our eyes locked and my stomach fluttered, I smiled at him and Tuck returned it, taking my breath away.

 

I turned back around and my mind began to race, Louise must have invited him, but why? They didn't even know each other, I remembered he'd got my number from her but that was hardly grounds for a friendship. Had something happened between them before she got engaged? I felt sick at the idea, I knew she wouldn't do that but then could I blame her if she did? He was gorgeous and I’d had my chance and thrown it away. I could feel him looking at me and I became hyper aware of every move I made and the expression on my face.

I regained awareness as the registrar declared Louise and Alex man and wife and we all cheered as the groom kissed his bride. 

 

The first chance I got to speak to Louise was when we went up to the bridal suite so I could help her change into what she called her "I can finally eat" dress. I hadn't spoken to Tuck yet and I'd barely said a word to Sam after the ceremony, finding myself wishing he'd done what he normally did, promise to be somewhere and not show up.

All I could do was sit and watch every female member of Louise’s family and the girls we went to school with fawn all over Tuck, trying to hide and any emotions on my face while inside I wanted to punch them all and declare him mine. Hiss and scratch at them like an angry feline.

 

"Have you seen him?" I was visibly shell shocked so she knew I had, she took the glass of champagne I'd brought up to her room from me and took a large swig, "at last I can relax!"

"Good for you" I replied sarcastically, downing my own glass before zipping her into her new dress, "no explanation then?"

"Well...we have been for a few drinks together since you did a runner on him" my face fell and I felt sick, "not like that! Alex was usually with us!" She added quickly, her eyes wide with panic, she took a deep breath and explained. 

 

She'd run into Tuck at a gym she had joined to get ready for the wedding, they'd smiled politely until one day she’d been struggling with a troublesome treadmill and he'd come over to help. 

"Eventually you crept up in conversation, he told me he wanted to see you again, that he was in a better place than he had been, he'd deleted your number but regretted it. I told him you'd gotten back together with your loser boyfriend, you weren't happy but you wouldn't admit it." I glared at her but she looked at me defiantly so I let her continue, "I felt bad so I invited him out for a drink with Alex and me and they hit it off." She sighed happily, talking about her new husband, "Tuck’s not had the best luck the past few years, his ex was cheating on him with his best friend and it sounds like it was pretty messy" she grimaced at the thought, I didn't want to know. I was feeling backed into a corner and a little tricked.

"Are you ok in your dress?" I asked getting to my feet, Louise nodded slowly, "right, I need some air and time to think.”

 

As I walked down the grand staircase, weaving through other guests who smiled at me even though I had no idea who they were reminding me I was chief bridesmaid and I'd just walked out on the bride, I found my self hoping that Tuck would be around but I got to the garden without seeing him and the outside seating area was occupied by some of the girls from school. 

"Hello Bianca, you look gorgeous, where's Lou?" I was greeted by Fran, she was now a devoted mother of two children but had been the crazy party girl of our group, she was dating four other men when she met her husband but she fell in love, got pregnant quite quickly and her party days were, sort of, over. A spare glass of champagne appeared and was thrust in my direction.

"She's just freshening up, her room is really warm so I came to get some air".

"She looked so beautiful" one of the other girls, Amy, commented. Amy and I had been extremely close until I realised in my early twenties that she had systematically tried to sleep with every boyfriend I had had since we were teenagers. "And speaking of beautiful, do you know who that guy is?"

I rolled my eyes internally and hoped she was talking about Sam, which I very much doubted, but I played dumb,

"Which guy?"

The whole group looked at me like I was crazy, Fran rubbed my arm gently and smile sadly,

"You wouldn't have seen him I realise because of your duties but Louise has destroyed all of our expectations of how a man should look by inviting an actual God to her wedding", I laughed but she frowned seriously "I'm not joking".

I was then treated to an onslaught of horny women describing a man that I was stupid enough to let slip out of my very weak fingers. "He’s so pretty", "tall but not too tall", "I wish I'd waited before getting married and having my children".

Just as Lena was describing the things she would do with his lips Tuck appeared at the door way,

"Ladies, we're being called for dinner". All four of us just stared at him dumbstruck until I gently nudged Fran forward and the others followed. I hesitated at first, he looked incredible in his tailored black suit, white shirt and red tie, he saw me look him up and down so he did the same, taking in my v-neck long peach lace dress and my way too high aqua coloured heels then gave his nod of approval. I walked past him silently as he leant against the door frame, he reached his hand out and without any attempt to take hold of it he brushed it against mine. I bit my bottom lip to try and hide my smile but I didn't turn back to acknowledge his gesture and continued to the dining room with him close behind.


	6. My heart will go on

Dinner was probably the most awkward experience I'd ever had to go through. I glared at Louise whilst sullenly pushing my food around my plate and angrily stabbing peas,   
"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked, hissing into my right ear.  
"Would you like some water?" Tuck held up the jug of water to my left and poured some into my glass.

Louise finally made eye contact across the table and smiled meekly, if this was her idea of matchmaking or being funny she was failing miserably at both things, if it hadn't been her wedding day I’d have launched myself across her beautifully decorated centrepieces and strangled her.   
"I'm fine and that’s enough thank you." I snapped at both of them, leaning away from Sam and pushing the jug Tuck held away from my glass. 

Alex saved the moment from being uncomfortable by calling everyone's attention to listen to the speeches. I turned in my seat to try pay attention to the best man, Lewis, who was Alex’s twin brother. He was very funny, saying that he'd known Alex since they'd shared a womb and that quite frankly he was glad to finally by rid of him. 

I got up from the table as soon as I could, I'd barely touched my food and felt the tension between Sam and Tuck suffocating me. I was surprised that Sam even noticed or cared but he'd had his hand on my knee the entire time. Did he know something I didn't?

Despite the atmosphere I did begin to enjoy myself. The restricted drinking I'd promised myself went out of the window and I was soon on doubles. I was about to show off all of my ’sweet moves’ when the DJ called for the bride and groom to have their first dance. Everyone formed a circle and Alex led Louise into the centre of the dance floor, they both had ridiculous smiles on their faces and I couldn't help smile along with them despite my annoyance with her. 

I had to stifle a laugh when the music began to play. One drunken night the three of us had sat down and got into a conversation about cheesy love songs and we'd dared each other that when any of us got married we had to have the cheesiest song for our first dance. I'd given them the same song despite their protests that they'd never get married. I'd thought they'd forgotten it but as ’My Heart Will Go On’ filled the venue and I saw Alex and Lou's giggles I realised I was going to have to keep my end of the bargain.

That thought reminded me of Sam, I hadn't seen him for a while and I wondered if he'd actually gone home. Looking around to see if he was still around I spotted him at the completely empty bar, he was leant across it and whispering to a very pretty, giggling barmaid. My stomach dropped and I froze, I wanted to punch him but Louise's wedding was not the place for a scene. 

I was about to go over and remind Sam who he was here with then Tuck appeared out the corner of my eye. Finding myself suddenly stuck to the spot, I watched as he walked calmly over to the bar and stood next to Sam. Sam was taller but Tuck looked so much more intimidating. 

Tuck got the girls attention and ordered a drink, downed it in one then turned to Sam. They spoke briefly, I could see Sam’s attitude was surly but I didn't expect Tucks hand to fly up to Sams throat. I prepared myself to jump in the middle of the two of them but before I could move, Tuck dragged Sam through the nearest door and disappeared.

I looked around to see if anyone else had seen what had happened but, in testament to how quick it had all happened, everyone was still watching the first dance. There was a moment where I considered going to find them but, instead, I turned back to the dance floor and clapped as Alex and Louise finished their dance.


	7. Chapter 7

It felt strangely comforting that Sam was finally gone. I would eventually find out what had happened, but this was the end of him and I, on both our parts, and it was a relief. 

Even though I spent most of the time looking around for Tuck, I enjoyed my evening dancing with Lewis, Alex's best man, for most of the evening. I hadn’t laughed so hard in ages as he twirled me around and bumped our hips together, both of us leading everyone in the Macarena and Saturday Night; I laughed until my ribs hurt.

Eventually the guests started to dwindle and my feet were aching. Even Lewis - now three sheets to the wind - had staggered off with his tie wrapped around his head to collapse in a corner. Louise and Alex had already left to do what newly married couples do and so, with one last scan of the place, I headed off to my room for the night.

I’d been reluctant to get a room at first. Sam wasn’t going to stay so I'd intended to leave with him, but Lou and her sister convinced me that I would be glad I didn’t have to travel home so late, and they were right. 

Stepping out of my shoes felt like heaven - my feet were going to ache in the morning! I was just about to change into my pyjamas when there was a light knock on the door. Considering not answering it, I gave a loud sigh and went to see who it was. I hoped it wasn’t Lewis (he’d tried grabbing my ass a few times while we were dancing) and I definitely hoped it wasn’t Sam.

The first thing I noticed was the blood on his shirt and on his right fist. There wasn’t much, but it was enough to send my heart rate through the roof. His knuckles were sore, a dark shade of red covering them.

“Can I come in?” Hesitating for a few seconds, I wondered it was a good idea. “Please?”, he pleaded.

“Where’s Sam?” Stepping aside, I let Tuck walk into my room. 

He headed straight for the small en suite and washed his hands, then removed his shirt and ran it under the cold tap before letting it soak.

“Tuck, is he ok?”, my voice shook. I didn’t really know this man; he could have seriously hurt Sam.

Tuck walked back into the bedroom shirtless, his California tan glowing in the low light, and there were more tattoos on his torso and arms.

“He’s fine, I promise you. I put him in a taxi and he’s gone home.” He looked me up and down, an intense look in his eyes that made my stomach flip. “Just don’t expect to hear from him again.”

“What did you do?” My voice was a whisper. What disturbed me most was that deep down I was more turned on than scared. 

“We had a little chat, and he decided that you deserve better than the likes of him.” He was angry, his normally soft spoken BBC accent replaced by a much harder London one. 

“Tuck…I…”

There wasn't much else to say but it didn’t matter. He was full of adrenaline and energy; he needed an outlet, and it turned out that the outlet would be me.

I was up on the dresser and sending a picture frame crashing to the floor before I knew what was happening. His hands sliding the hem of my dress up over my knees, around my waist and pulling my underwear down. His kiss was hard and hungry, open mouthed as his tongue searched for mine where I welcomed it wholeheartedly. 

“Is this ok?” He murmured, his mouth now on my neck, kissing and biting a trail.

Words were lost to me. I just wanted to feel him; so many months of denying how I felt about Tuck now flooded every part of me. To signal that I wanted him, that this was more than ok, I reached down between us to run a hand over where he was already hard. My fingers stroked his length for only a short time before a low guttural growl rumbled from his mouth and he started to undo his black leather belt.

He wasn’t gentle entering me, his hips slamming against me hard causing me to moan loud enough to wake the entire hotel. Silenced by Tuck's hand I whimpered against his fingers as his thrusts left me weak. My whole body trembled and my legs ached from all the dancing I’d done. 

I wrapped an arm around his neck, clinging onto him as tightly as I could. 

“No running away in the morning, hmm?”, he whispered. He was close to the edge, breathing ragged and hands gripping my hips tightly. I blocked him out, wanting him to make me cum; we would talk later. Getting the hint he sped up his pace and my orgasm was quickly followed by his, hands grasping at each other and jaws slack.

“I’m staying with you”, my voice shook, struggling to string a sentence together, and he made me look at him. His lips were pink and his forehead damp. I’d never been more attracted to someone.

“Promise?”

Even in the dim light I could see the intensity in his eyes. He didn’t want to play games, and as my body shivered with the feel of him still inside me, I didn’t want to go anywhere.

“I promise.”


End file.
